Scenes From The Weekend

On Sunday afternoon we caught these youngsters with a great idea - a massive slip-n-slide on Longwood Ave. We applauded their ingenuity, and were happy to see there wasn't much chance of them sliding into traffic.

Here we have Tony, with his knife/tool sharpener who comes by but once a year. The first time we saw him, I actually saw an old friend from College running down the alley with an ax in his hand before I saw Tony and his little cart.

And lastly, this. The Iphone camera comes in very handy.

Bitty's Return

Here we have the proud Mother, with her newborn Bitty Baby.

Just an hour later, and it seems that motherhood has lost it's luster. Liv is over it, and Bitty lies unattended in the background. When I asked Liv about Bitty, she said "I'm tired of her." But have no fear, Bitty has inched her way back into Liv's heart, and is sleeping peacefully at the foot of her bed.

Friday Night Date

Liv had her first ever play date this Friday, with her pal Sophia from Mrs. Durkin's. There was some swimming, and then pizza and Shrek. The evening was capped off with a visit to The Hole - a not-to-be-missed tourist attraction in Liv's book.

A Previous Life

This morning Olivia told me that before she was Olivia, she was an old dog that lived in San Diego.

It's A Trade Off

If your goal is to tire a toddler out, then running bases will most certainly work. But it seems nearly impossible to do so and not look like Pig Pen.

Party Time

Nana Honey with Veronica, Frank, Grace, Olivia and Francesca. Can you spot the soon-to-be high school Freshman?

The food was delicious, especially the shrimp boil put on by Papa. We'll be attempting to duplicate this at home.

Definately during "thriller." Monsters + Michael Jackson? Right up Liv's alley, and I love how Grace doesn't hesitate to join in.

Posing among the fruits of Liv's...er...Papa's labor. Liv had planted sunflower seeds earlier in the summer and look how they've grown!

Saturday night Nana and Papa hosted a birthday party for Aunt Therese - and what a good time we had!

Happy Birthday Aunt Therese and Anna Marie

I brought these cupcakes to Aunt Therese's birthday dinner, with "marshmallow" frosting. So good!

Sunday Dinner

I made this with Olivia in mind, thinking she would love it. She wasn't much of a fan, but Steve and I sure were.

Minocqua Warm Up

Picking out a prime spot.



We were originally going to use raw hot dogs as bait but then opted for worms, which Liv couldn't believe. Not that it was gross but that we would subject the worms to such a fate.



I asked Liv to make her "fishing face" and this was it.




Success!

Liv kept on calling the worms a "nice surprise."

Fish #2. Liv was a bit more leery of this one.

So Annoying

Dripping in Diamonds

Liv usually can't leave for Mrs Durkins until she's properly accessorized. Although sharing doesn't seem to be part of the plan, when Mrs Durkin asked to borrow her earrings for a wedding, the answer was no.

Big Wheel

It's really all about speed for Liv. We find ourselves having to keep up with her, which is a nice change of pace compared to 1 block taking 10 minutes.

A New Career Path

We were just trying to get Liv in the house -and she tells me she has to practice with her hula hoop. I ask what for. She says: "my new job." What new job? "the hula hoop contest."

Rules of the Road

Liv has two "musts" when it comes to riding in the car. The windows down and the music loud. It's hard to see in the top pic, but if you peer in the rearview mirror, you can see her bunny (aka big shorty aka peppers) peeking it's head out. She had him that way for most of our trip on the Kennedy, enjoying the breeze and listening to some Black Eyed Peas. Now, I don't know about you, but if I had a bad day and I saw that little pink bunny face sticking out of a window I would be instantly cheered up.

Well Well Well...What Do We Have Here

Most parents transition kids to a regular bed once they start climbing out of the crib. That wasn't the issue with Liv, rather it was her fitting in it. All of a sudden it was like a cage, and she'd turn over and be caught in the bars. So it was time to move on. We did so with trepidation, assuming our somewhat uninterrupted nights of sleep would be a thing of the past. I hate to jinx it, but we may be onto something here - she gets up less than she ever did. Actually, Steve and I aren't sure she's aware she can get out of the bed without us there - a secret that is safe with us.

****

A potty training update: The other day Liv turned to me with a sad face and said - "I used to have big girl pants, but a wolfie threw them in the mud." So I said that I had washed them and they were all clean. Her response, even more melancholy: "oh no, they're stained."

Pool Party

The summer is slipping by and before you know it, we'll be seeing school supplies in the stores. Oh wait, they're in stores already. No matter - we're going to try to make the most of these last few weeks with tons of summery things. Barb had the grand idea of having a ladies pool party, and the ladies were all too willing, despite no sun. It was a lovely afternoon, and on the way home Olivia kept on coming up with various items she had "left" at Barb's house so that we would turn around.

***You'll notice no pool pics - it was swimsuits optional - which Esme partook in.

What's New With Liv?

Well, aside from getting her ears pierced, she's now riding a big wheel with some major speed. Just kidding on the ear piercing part.

Reunited

Lucky for Liv and Esme, they were able to hang out not too long after Liv's party. I took the girls on an adventure to the creek in Grammie and Grampie's backyard. But the overgrown weeds really obscured our view of the water, and Liv was concerned there was "something" hiding in them. Thankfully the Man of Steel accompanied us, for protection.